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Reflections on Time and Loss: A Review of Mrs. Dalloway

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Virginia Woolf’s Mrs. Dalloway is a poignant exploration of time, memory, and the intricate web of human emotions. The novel, set on a single day, follows Clarissa Dalloway as she prepares for a party she is hosting that evening.

Since it is not a linear narration, it took me a lot of time to grasp what Woolf was trying to convey. But it is because of this stream-of-consciousness narrative, it was easier to put the inner lives of the characters, their deepest fears, regrets, and desires on the table.

Peter Walsh and the love

The character of Peter Walsh stands out as particularly compelling and relatable, especially during times of personal sadness and introspection. Peter, who returns to England after years in India, is haunted by his unrequited love for Clarissa. His emotions are raw and palpable, and his continued love for Clarissa, despite their separation, is both heartbreaking and deeply human. His loneliness and the sense of being adrift in his own life resonate powerfully, especially when one is navigating similar feelings of loss and longing.

Clarissa herself is a complex character, embodying the tension between societal expectations and personal desires. On the surface, she appears to be the perfect hostess, concerned with the minutiae of her party. However, beneath this façade lies a woman who constantly questions her choices and grapples with the paths not taken. Her reflections on her past, particularly her youthful romance with Sally Seton, reveal her inner conflicts and the sacrifices she has made for the sake of convention.

The marriage of Rezia, Septimus and trauma

Woolf masterfully intertwines the lives of her characters, using the passing hours of the day to reveal their interconnectedness. Septimus Warren Smith, a shell-shocked World War I veteran, serves as a stark counterpoint to Clarissa’s world of privilege and social engagements. His descent into madness and eventual suicide highlight the devastating effects of war and the inadequacy of society’s response to mental illness. Septimus’ plight underscores the fragility of the human mind and the tragic consequences of a world that fails to understand or care for its wounded souls.

The novel’s structure, shifting seamlessly between past and present, inner thoughts and external actions, creates a rich tapestry of human experience. Woolf’s prose is lyrical and evocative, capturing the fleeting nature of time and the way our lives are shaped by memories and moments of connection. Her portrayal of London is vivid and immersive, bringing the city to life as a character in its own right, teeming with life and history.

Mrs. Dalloway is a deeply sad novel, reflecting the inherent melancholy of existence. Yet, it also offers moments of profound beauty and insight. The characters’ struggles with their pasts, their fears for the future, and their search for meaning in the present are universal themes that resonate across time and place.

Peter Walsh’s enduring love for Clarissa, despite its futility, speaks to the enduring power of love and the pain of unfulfilled dreams.

In conclusion, Mrs. Dalloway is a masterful exploration of the human condition, capturing the complexity of our emotions and the passage of time. Virginia Woolf’s ability to delve into the inner lives of her characters with such sensitivity and depth makes this novel a timeless classic. For anyone who has experienced loss, love, and the search for meaning, Mrs. Dalloway offers a profound and moving reflection on the beauty and sadness of life.

Rating: 4/5

Image credits : https://www.pinterest.com/pin/10062799137721033/

3 books that made me Self – Introspect

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Self Introspection is an inward-looking process where one tries to find what their own mind and emotions convey. Self Reflection and introspection differ in that, reflection often involves trying to understand the values and goals behind one’s actions whereas, introspection is about finding the inner desires and motivations. Introspection mostly involves looking inwards by meditation or sometimes having a time by self.

The books that encouraged me look inward, made me self reflect as well. Not all times, do our actions align with our selves.

1. Love for Imperfect Things: How to Accept Yourself in a world striving for perfection – Haemin Sunim

This book was very kind to me, starting with self-care and it later moves on to the other aspects of life, which we overlook at that moment, but return back to them in memories. I would say it all starts with self-compassion, when I read the first part of the book, I was completely hooked, it made me view myself in a different way. I tried to be more accepting of myself and I tried to push myself forward with a small nudge, rather than beating myself up in the process.

The fact that relationships require effort, and it is sometimes fine, if we end up hurting others, meaning, we can’t be the 100% always someone expects of us and that is how it is. But, we must value others in the same time, it is not about being indifferent to others, it is more of value others and ourselves to take in.

Life is short and the world is whole lot larger. It is good to fail, even more better to heal.

When we become kinder to ourselves, we can become kinder to the world

2. Don’t Believe everything you think – Joseph Nguyen

I saw this everywhere as a tonic to overthinking, and it was precisely that.

The book starts with explaining, how pain and suffering differ. Pain is something that occurs often out of our control, but the latter is always under our control. It’s we who choose to suffer the pain or not.

The interpretation of the events define our perception and hence we choose to suffer or let go. It is our thinking that leads to it, rather than the thoughts themselves. Thoughts occur, but the thinking is our interference of them. We don’t have to think positively. We simply need not think at all. The author goes on explaining his point, with few exercises as well.

Our feelings guide us. The feelings that come above the surface when we are tranquil, devoid of anxiety. When we reach a state of no thought, otherwise termed as flow state, what we feel is often the answer for the questions we might have in mind. And this is how, we take the decisions, eliminating the thinking.

To be honest, it is very hard to practice this. It might sound simple, but not easy. I do overthink at times, switching off when the thinking carries me somewhere is tedious. But it has paid off well, when I did try.

There is nothing either good or bad but thinking makes it so

3. The Subtle Art of Not giving a F*ck: A Counterintuitive Approach to Living a Good Life – Mark Manson

This book’s tone is completely different from the above two, but meets them in the objective. I loved this book, because it was too straightforward at times. While the other books were gentle, this book calls you upon the wrong doings.

I have read Mark Manson’s blog before and liked some of those articles as well. Haemin Sunim said that suffering is your call, Mark Manson kind of meets at the same point and puts forward that it is because of the pain you learn and grow.

Being self-compassionate shouldn’t mean to keep you safe everywhere and be cautious. It is the opposite, it is the daring to do the things, choosing what you really value. When you can choose what you value, the other things become the last things on the planet and that’s how you eliminate giving a f*ck to them.

Mark puts forward five values – Responsibility, Doubts on self-beliefs, Failure, saying No, Commitment

These are kind of correlated if you try to elaborate. In that, taking responsibility to the actions and words, we might end up failing a lot. That only shows that we are trying and it is how you choose to take a hold on life. Failure makes us doubt what we believe, and hence we take those steps we hesitated before, assuming. Commitment and saying No go hand in hand. Getting a no, often leads to better things, or even if it doesn’t, it makes us see the world differently and better than before.

All in all, it was a packed book in itself and I loved every chapter of it.

In conclusion, self-help books are great when you need a piece of advice from someone. But the true impact lies in taking in and following them which you think might be helpful. If not, they are simply the rant of someone in a metro, you act like you care when you listen, but forget the minute you step out of the metro. It has got nothing on you.

3 Books that made me Happy

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Everyone has impeccable interest on how to become happy. There are numerous articles, videos and even research papers dictating ways to make a human soul happy. Undoubtedly, I embarked on the same journey a year ago. I was on a quest to unlock my happiness chest.

On this way, I stumbled upon numerous paths across the internet. But finding the one that suited me took a while, and most importantly following that took me months of consistency and effort.

These 3 books were the most important ones that paved the way to my journey towards happiness.

1. The Miracle of Mindfulness: An Introduction to the Practice of Meditation by Thich Nhat Hanh

Meditation or I would like to term it as a tool for mindfulness, is one of the most widely recognized ways to attain peace. Thich Nhat Hanh, known as the father of mindfulness, in this book establishes that mindfulness is simply focusing on the present. Often, in our busy schedule and lifestyle, we are carried away through the day without us being able to pin-point our activity during a particular time of the day. This is a clear indicator of how less mindful we are.

Following this book, was no easy task for me. I am not the person who does a single task at hand at a time. I used to multi-task, that often affects the quality of those tasks. I used to go through my mundane tasks, by listening to songs or podcasts. But I believe most of us are. Thich Nhat Hanh, says however mundane let the work be, it should be done mindfully and bring your mind to the present gradually, when you find it wavering around. He advises to live a mindful life and not just do minutes-long eye-closed meditation and call it a day. Truly it was Miracle of Mindfulness.

2. The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin

I stumbled upon this book and loved the concept of it. Gretchen takes us through a year of her life, 12 months with 12 new things she introduces each month to cultivate happiness in her life. Gretchen describes her life as not good and not bad, she can’t rejoice and feel happy, even if things were good. That’s when she started this.

The practical guidelines that helped her, along with her good and bad moments of living by the resolutions she established gives an interesting perspective on things and helped me to adapt as per my life.

Let me share some of the concepts that bestowed a significant impact on me.

First, Boost Energy. I was tired and had nearly 0 energy at the end of the day to do anything interesting and it also affected the mood and my relationships with people. This first phase, she starts on January. Exercise, sleeping early and at regular time and acting more energetic helped me on the long run to gain my energy and that considerably influenced my relationships as well.

Buy some Happiness. This was about how to use money on modest splurges to be more happy. I started to buy needful things and small bytes of happiness. I loved gifting people and seeing their happy faces. To feel good, do good.

Overall, it is an interesting read to look on in Gretchen’s journey towards happiness and even more interesting to embark on our journey alongside.

3. Think Like a Monk by Jay Shetty

In this book, Jay Shetty reveals the findings of his own quest to being monk and unlocking the purpose of his life. Finding a purpose and living by it is the most proven methods to be happy. Jay tells us how he had started meditating little by little to lead a meaningful and mindful life. Other principles like, quit complaining gives us a positive outlook on ourselves and in front of others. Some of his advises proved fruitful, while I should say, after few chapters it felt monotonous.

But, I am sure this will be a good start for anyone who has no reservations about a monk life and is open about it. The book, in no way, asks you to leave your life and become a monk, but rather poses an even more challenging task of staying in your own life with responsibilities and commitments and still act like a monk.

These are my most interesting as well as helpful reads while hunting for the happiness treasure chest. Hope you read it as well and let me know other books that helped you in your life.